ADMIRAL SIR HENRY KEPPEL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CI, Issue 11921, 19 June 1899, Page 7

ADMIRAL SIR HENRY KEPPEL.

■ There is probably no more popular sailor in the, British Navy, with the doubtful exception. of Lord Charles Befesford, than Admiral of the Fleet the Honorable Sir Henry Keppel, who is just, completing his ninetieth year, and is the oldest naval officer in. Her Majesty’s semce. ' He has enjoyed (says “Tit-Bits”) the unique.experience of witnessing quite a revolution, ini the methods of. naval'warfare, brought about by the substitution of steam; power for sail, and, in the course of his extensive career, ha,has had the command of vessels, of both the former and the. latter order.

Sir Henry is a. son of the fourth Earl of Albemarle; -and it may be mentioned as a . somewhat curious fact that he has seen no ■■£ fewer’than four earls succeed to-the family * title and honours, the present holder being ■ -.nthe eighth'iuisnc(^siom : ;;,v:' ■ '■y.-y:y ■ He tells ah amusingistory of the*curious manner in which be came to enter the Navy. After attending school at Needham Market, he and; his brother Tom were one day summonedito their father’s dressing-room, and apprised by his lordship that the time had arrived, for them to choose a profession. Both decided for the Navy, whereon their iathet ' the opinion that they should "select separate professions: About this tbe brothers -disagreed, and the future admiral struck his brother in the eye, the blow being returned with interest. When they had had enough, as Sir Henry expressively puts it, their father settled the dispute for them by declaring that they , should, both be. sailors. , As an infant, three weeks old, Keppel narrowly escaped/consignment to a premature grave. ,He was so feeble and sickly a child that he was given up as dead; but a slight movement was detected, and the supposed defunct infant was saved, to render his country many years’ service. At school he was rather given to practical, joking, and once went so far as to fire off a toy cannon under the master’s very nose. Sir Henry was admitted to the Navy in February, 1822, by an examination which be has forgotten, how he got through, and was appointed to the good ship Tweed, commanded by Captain F. Hunn. - , "When he first went to sea; Sir Henry had. reached the age of fifteen; and at twenty he was made a lieutenant. He shirked none of the hardships incidental to sea life, as may be gathered from the fact that during two years spent in American, and West Indian water* ne had no other bed than the bin', hard deck-planks, with his rolled-up jack'et for a pillow. • , While serving in. the. Galatea I under Sir Charles: Napier/ he. was placed under arrest for “cheeking” a superior officer. The prisoner, however; broke arrest for no other reason.: than, to- attend a negro hall at Barbadoes, .Another occasion when he was : placed under arrest was* .after during with some officers at Knigbtsbfidge Barracks. He somehow managed to get involved in a quarrel with the police, and in consequence spent ..’the night at Marlborough Street 'Police Station, being .fined £5 when arraigned ‘ before the Magistrate next morning. ' With pain the gallant admiral confesses to having once fought a duel, which he appears to have more or less deliberately provoked. After two shots had been exchanged, the affair ended by the combatants •baking hands. . In the course of his most' interesting career .Admiral Keppel served on a number of different sailing and steam vessels, including, in addition to,the Tweed and Galatea before referred to, the ,Magicienne, Childers, Dido, Meander, St Jean d’Acre, Colossus, Raleigh, Pearl, Salamis, Rattler, and Afariilk of one or the other class. He had a. good many harrow escapes from death.- Once, v whilst in command of .the Dido ha Chinese waters, it was thought be had broken his "back. In conjunction with the Nemesis, his vessel was.engaged inac- . tive operations when he .fell across .the gnnrmb qf a boot,/:-At' first ft seemed.! hs though - - -W htf -vostaaned ihjanesfij-.but the mis--1 proved only .’one of the nut’ merlins' accidents ■from; which -he escaped] practically unscathed. A trifle more exciting was a similar . ex...pentoce which befell . him in the Baltic, . when this country was Bating Russia. The Bafeio' fleet, under, the command of. . Sir Charles Napier, gave orders to the ships to open fire on a fort Which' he was not aware ' was empty, having been abandoned by the • • enemy. •

Accompanied by. a . friend, Keppel bad •stared the fort ’ just before a couple of ( vessels opened fire,, and 'when the shells began to burst around them, they had to scramble but-ih ! hot haste. > . ■

- i ' Froii--the - -BaltiC;iV he. proceeded'' to the Black Sea, and while there made the- curious 1 discovery that sopie .Irish recruits had de- ‘ voured half ‘a toil of ratv turnips that had been sent: on board for the/sheep. He had a lively time with- the Russians both afioat and ashore, being for&ome' time, before and down to the fall of'jSebastopol, aShbre in command of the Najtal;Bisigade. ' : ' ~-r Ono day he bappeo«i&s& encounter a * MueJAcket'who was carving a heart bn a ring made out of a piece of hiis own - thigh - -UEiich. bad been amputated.. Int?t:

rogated as to what.he; was going to do with it, the gallant tar replied that he, .was going “to send.it to his:girl.”: On another,occasion the future admiral received quite,as characteristic a reply from Thomas Atkins. Wishing, to ascertain Lord Raglan’s tent was, he inquired of a soldier, and the answer instantly came—•“ Next turn to the right, then a dead horse and a shocking bad smell on the left. The same all the. way up.” “All the way” meaning some four miles, tne contemplated visit was abandoned. '■ ' . : Sir Henry rendered splendid service m the suppression of the slave trade, an occupation which, though- possessing a considerable element of danger, brought but little in the way of-glory.' . He has always-been a great favourite at . Court, and at ,an early period of his career was a member of the stafLof the .Duke ofSussex. With the Prince of Wales.he has for many years been on- terms of the closest intimacy. , , ~ . , An amusing story is told of his peculiarly impulsive nature. On his return irom, foreign waters ho once found that nis wife was within thirteen miles of Portsmouth. Though ordered' round' to Sheerness, he changed clothes with the master and left him in Charge of the ship, while he himself set off in a post-chaise t-o meet his wife. Arrived at Sheppey, he explained and arranged matters -With ' the Captain-Superin-tendent, and after waiting, a few days, reported the arrival of himself and vessel to the Admiral at. the Nore> : ■ More than once was Keppel in hot water; at the Admiralty. While' he was at Macao, a gentleman was imprisoned for refusing to obey the Governor’s order to take off his hat to “the Host.’* His release was deinaded by the gallant sailor, who afterwards forcibly liberated him, the rescue involving the shooting of a Portuguese soldier. For this Keppel was reprimanded by the Admiralty, and thanked ’by the . Foreign Secretary, then Lord Palmerston. Sir Henry has always been an enthusiastic sportsman, a keen hunting man, and a good shot, both as regards large and small game. When in Ceylon he enjoyed plenty of hunting and shooting, and even when he came home he never missed a chance of riding to hounds or spending a day in the coverts.